Can opener supporting mechanism



Jam 22, 1957 R. GOODENOUGH CAN OPENER SUPPORTING MECHANISM Filed July 8. 1952 FIG. I.

FIG. 3.

. INVENTOR. RICHARD GOODENO UGH T TOE/VE YS United States Patent 2,778,596 CAN OPENER SUPPORTING MECl-IANISM Y Richard Goodenough, New York, N. Y., assignor to Joseph A. Cahil, doing business as Cahll Manufactur- 'Ihis invention relates to structures for mounting kitchen utensils, such as can openers.

The compact size and consequently small working area of the modern kitchen has made it desirable to mount commonly used utensils such as can openers in a manner such that the utensile may be maintained out of the way when not in use. This is generally accomplished by mounting the utensil in such fashion that it can be moved back to a retracted position against the wall or other mounting surface during periods of non-use from its horizontally extended operating position.

It is an object of this invention to provide a mounting structure for can openers and the like which provides the foregoing facility of being retractible from an operative position in a mechanism which is safe, self-locking, economical and easily operated. Such mechanism, as herein described, affords at least two positions for a utensil arm in one of which the utensil is locked in its operative position and in the other of which the utensil is locked in a retracted and inoperative position closely adjacent to the wall or mounting surface.

The foregoing object is attained by a structure which comprises two cooperating supporting members, each having similarly shaped apertures therein, and a pivot shaft or pin slidably mounted in said apertures. This shaft is formed with a shaped portion Whose external configuration corresponds to and mates with said shaped apertures, and a second portion adjacent thereto of the same dimension as the smallest dimension of the said shaped apertures in order to permit the shaft to turn with respect thereto. Thus the supporting members are locked -in an operative position when the shaped portion of the shaft is engaged in said apertures, but when the'said second portion of the shaft is within said apertures the relative movement of the members is permitted to enable the device to be moved to a retracted and inoperative position.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a view in side/elevation of a can opener supporting mechanism constructed in accordance with the present invention, shown in its operative position;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the structure shownin Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a transverse cross-sectional view taken on the line 3-3 on Figure 2, and looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary view in side elevation showing the utensil-bearing arm midway between the operative and inoperative position; and

Figure 5 is a partial view in section taken on line 5--5 of Figure 4, and looking in the direction of the arrows.

The invention shown in the drawings is embodied in a supporting mechanism having a utensil arm upon which is mounted a can opener, shown generally at 10. The can opener includes a cutter 11, a feed wheel 12 and an operating arm 13. A supporting arm 14, which, in the form shown, is an elongated rectangular plate, is mounted pivotally upon a bracket 15, which is aiiixed to 2 the wall or other mounting surface 16 by means' of screws 17.

The bracket 15 may be formed of two L-shaped rightangled plates 18 and 19, and secured together back-toback by rivets 20. The projecting parallel ends of said plates 18 and 19 together form a channel 21 to receive the end of the bracket arm 14, these ends being formed with squared apertures 22 and 23 within which is received a pivot shaft 24 having a squared shank portion 25, a rounded shank portion 26 and a head 27.

As shown in Figures 1, 2 and 5, the inner edge of the channel 21 is defined by a substantially vertical edge 31 and the inner edge 32 of the inner end of the arm 14 is adjacent said vertical edge 31 of the channel 21 when the arm 14 is in its operating position. As shown in dot and dash lines in Figure 4 a portion of the upper longitudinal edge 33 of the inner end of the arm 14 is adjacent said vertical edge 31 when the arm 14 is in inoperative position.

The arm 14 is formed with a square aperture 28 within which the pivot shaft is received, the shaft being secured in position by means of a nut 29 and being urged normally into the position illustrated in Fig. 2 by means of a spring 30. The rounded shank portion 26 is of such diameter that the arm 14 will pivot upon it.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the arm 14 may be moved to and from either the position shown in Fig. 1 or in dot and dash lines in Fig. 4 by pushing the nut 29 inwardly against the spring 30 to move the rounded shank portion 26'into the aperture 28 in the arm, at which time the arm may be moved pivotally. By releasing the nut, the spring will cause the squared shank portion 25 to move within the squared apertures 22, 23 and 28 to lock the arm in either the operating or storage position when the squared shank of the shaft registers wim the squared apertures in the arm.

It is understood that the foregoing is descriptive of one embodiment only of the invention and that this invention is not to be limited save as defined in the appended claim.

I claim:

A utensil supporting mechanism comprising an arm upon which a utensil is mountable having an inner end in the form of a plate disposed in a vertical plane, a bracket comprising a pair of closely spaced, parallel vertical plates dening an open channel, said bracket being adapted to be mounted upon a supporting surface with the inner end of the arm received in the channel, said vertical plates and the inner end of said arm being provided with aligned polygonal apertures, a pivot shaft mounted in said apertures for axial sliding movement, said shaft comprising a polygonal-sectioned first portion adapted to mesh in said apertures and lock the utensil bearing arm selectively in either of two right angularly spaced positions, a substantially cylindrical second portion on said shaft adjoining the iirst portion, said shaft being axially movable in the apertures to disengage the polygonal portion from and to engage the cylindrical portion with the apertures, whereby the arm can be swung in the bracket between said two right angularly spaced positions, means normally urging the shaft into a position in which the polygonal portion mates with the polygonal apertures, said bracket being provided with a substantially vertical limit stop abutment in the channel and wherein the inner end of the utensil bearing arm is substantially rectangular and the inner edge thereof is adapted to engage the limit stop abutment when the arm is presented in operative position, whereby said limit stop abutment terminates swinging movement of the arm in one direction, and a portion of the upper longitudinal edge of the inner end of the arm engages the limit stop abutment when the arm is in its inoperative position,

whereby said abutment also terminates swinging mover ment of the arm in the other direction, and wherein said means urging the shaft into a position in which the polygonal portion mates with said apertures comprises a spring.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Reinisch June 26, 1888 Powell Dec. 4, 1906 Nichols June 9, 1914 Will Apr. 6, 1915 Carpenter Feb. 19, 1929 Zimmer Aug. 5, 1941 

